


In Every Crowd

by merlin07



Category: David Tennant - Fandom
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-27 12:15:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 14,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7617730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlin07/pseuds/merlin07
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Roaming Holiday</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The film set was buzzing with activity. The minute they arrived David was whisked into wardrobe and then into make-up leaving The Doctor to prowl around. He had been issued an all access pass under the name John Smith, introduced as a childhood friend of David's. He was wearing a spare pair of David's jeans, a nondescript pullover and a baseball cap pulled low over his face, so The Doctor blended into the crowd.

Seeing all the equipment the techno-geek side of the Time Lord was aroused. He examined a camera on tracks first, then some really odd looking thing he wasn't quite sure of, it looked like an old fashioned garbage can mounted on wheels. He knelt down next to it and was scanning it with his screwdriver when he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Can I help you?" a rather burly man stood behind him, arms crossed.

"I have clearance!"The Doctor lifted the pass from his chest to show the man. This seemed to not impress the other much, so he continued, "I was just wondering what this is."

The man's face softened a bit, "it's a snow cannon, it's used to create artificial snow. I don't think they are going to use it today, but they brought it along anyway."

"Good thing the ice warriors don't have one of these," The Doctor mused.

"They a hockey team or summat?" the other man asked.

"Or something, yes," The Doctor smiled.

"I better get back," the man jerked a thumb at a group of other people milling about; "tea break's almost finished."

The Doctor was about to examine something else when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, he rose slowly and scanned the crowd. Everyone and everything seemed normal but something was firing his Time Lord warning signals off, and that was cause for concern.

He glanced at the crowd gathered around the catering lorry, cups of tea and pastries in hand, nothing out of the ordinary there. The crew working on setting up the lighting seemed to be pretty run of the mill as well.

Then the breeze shifted slightly and he picked up a scent. It smelt ever so slightly of wet skin mixed with a sour, vaguely rotting smell and just a hint of musk. Maybe one of the catering staff? He wondered and made his way over the lorry.

As soon as The Doctor reached the front of the queue the woman at the window smiled at him, "what would you like love?" she asked, then spying his thin frame she reached behind her and took one of each pastry left, "you need some meat on your bones!" she winked at him shoving the try full of food across the ledge.

"That phrase always worries me," The Doctor laughed taking the food from her, "I picture myself served up as a roast whenever I hear that."

A large man wearing a wind cheater with the name of the catering business on it laughed, "you wouldn't be much more than a starter," he scoffed.

"Good thing too," The Doctor nodded, accepting the cup of tea he made his way over to one of the picnic tables.

Pretending to be very interested in the food he leaned forward to take a deep sniff, but he wasn't concentrating on the sugary smell coming from the pastries, instead he was trying to pick up the scent he had caught a hint of earlier. But it was gone. Whoever it was had left the area or downwind of him. He looked around trying to remember who had been there earlier, in attempt to see who was now missing but he couldn't work it out.

He picked up a scone and bit into it distractedly, all nerves still on edge. Something was not quite right, he could feel it in his very core, but everything appeared all right.

Moments later he was startled out of his thoughts by David taking the seat opposite him, "I see you found the catering lorry!" he laughed taking a sip of his coffee and taking a jelly roll from the heaping plate in front of the Time Lord.

"She said I was too skinny," The Doctor gestured with a sweet roll in the general direction of the caterers.

"Eat all that and you will be in a sugar coma," David replied.

"Sugar coma?" The Doctor stared at the food as if any moment now it would leap from the platter and attack, "is that something humans have a problem with, is it fatal?"

"It's just a saying," David assured him, "usually it's because you've eaten too much and get sleepy."

The Doctor nodded and popped the last of the sweet roll in his mouth, "this place is busier than the hives of The Sylfrax Galaxy during flowering season."

David looked around, "it can be, there's a lot of work to be done to get the location set up..."

The Doctor was about to tell David about the odd scent and the feeling of his nerves been on edge when a woman ran up to the actor, "they're ready for you!" she flashed a brief smile at The Doctor then spoke into a radio, "we're on our way!"

"Sorry I have to go," David gulped the last of his coffee down, "my caravan's the silver one with the red stripe, if you get bored it has a television."

"No danger of that," The Doctor murmured as David turned to leave. There was that smell again and this time he felt the tickle of someone trying to scan his thoughts. He quickly shut them out and check the crowd again, this time making no efforts to hide his action, hoping to catch out the person. But his efforts were in vain.

He quickly finished off his tea along with a small croissant, and made his way to the largest gathering of people, with the intention of checking everyone out up close and personal this time.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor would be surprised to find out that while he was checking out the people on the film set someone was checking him out as well. The figure couldn't help but notice the thin man in the baseball cap circling the crowd like he was on the hunt.

At first the watching eyes wondered if this man was like himself, on the prowl for prey. But when he passed close by and the wrongness hit him like a smack in the face.

Humans smelt like meat, heavy with blood, iron rich and delicious. This man didn't smell human at all, he had no scent. No, wait that isn't quite true, he decided as he followed this stranger. He breathed in deeply, there was a scent a bit like honey, and some mix of exotic spices.

He trailed this odd creature by mixing in with the crowd. He thought he was being quite clever until the man quickly turned around and seemed to stare straight at him. To cover his tracks he bent as if to tie his shoe, ducking down below the wave of humanity.

When he resurfaced the man had moved on. He watched the thin stranger's back as he disappeared into the throng with a rising anger. He picked this line of work for its easy prey! The fans that ringed the set every day, easy pickings! If one or two of those misfits with no real lives of their own disappeared, hardly anyone would notice. The day labourers and the hangers on, if a few were culled it would scarcely raise an eyebrow.

He kicked a nearby tree in frustration. He would have to be careful now, he couldn't hunt with abandon, there was something dangerous about this newcomer. Something that made his hackles rise, set the nerves in his body dancing with fear.

The Doctor's nerves were on edge too, he had been casually walking around the set trying to pinpoint where the source of the energy was coming from when all of a sudden he felt a tickle at the back of his neck, like someone was watching him. He whipped around only to see the bustling figures of the workers on the set and the gathered fans behind the security fencing. No one was looking his way at all.

Feeling suddenly very exposed and vulnerable he decided to head back to the TARDIS and see if he could scan for alien life signs.

The figure followed The Doctor and watched him climb into a strange little blue box. He circled the outside of the thing and tapped it once, it was a wooden crate! Or an upright casket. He mused.

Maybe this newcomer isn't so different after all, he grinned and went back to the work he was hired to do.

Inside the TARDIS the scan turned up only one source of alien energy, and that was clearly David. The Doctor sighed, removing his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He leaned against the console heavily and wondered how to tell David to be careful of something or someone when even he himself had no idea what they were dealing with.

The Doctor waited anxiously for the lunch break, he quickly pulled David aside, "there's something going on..." he started

At first David looked at him uncomprehendingly then he sighed, "can't there ever be a time when you're around that there isn't drama?"

The Doctor smiled, "nope, sorry, but look at it this way, your life is never boring!"

"So what is it?" David asked.

"I don't know yet," The Doctor admitted, "but something or someone was following me, scanning me and trying to suss out who I am."

"If you're in danger," David leaned in towards the Time Lord, "maybe you should leave here and when I'm finished filming I'll rejoin you."

"It's not just me who is in danger, and besides I am more than capable of taking care of myself. I have been around a while, after all!" The Doctor snapped. Then realising he sounded a bit harsh, he took a deep breath, "sorry, but no. If I left now I'd miss all the fun!"

"I'm beginning to see that in Time Lord speak fun equals something that could potentially get limbs ripped off, or blood spilt or lives lost," David laughed humourlessly.

"OK so maybe fun isn't the right word," The Doctor conceded, "maybe interesting, intriguing and a mystery to be solved is more what I mean."

"Whatever," David smiled, "but be careful, if this thing has locked onto you, you are probably in the most danger."

"Actually, since it's here it could be here for you specifically. I did a scan and it picked up nothing alien, aside from us, and so whoever it is will appear completely human, and who knows maybe it is, but it's not to be trusted."

"That's going to make this shoot very awkward," David grumbled, "I will come in contact with a lot of people I don't know. How can I tell who this person is?"

"I'm working on it," The Doctor assured him, "meanwhile I'll be keeping watch over you, nothing will happen. Trust me."

\---

Seated at the next table the figure smiled. So this stranger was tied back to the actor, he shot a quick glance at the two of them. He lifted the cup of tea and pretended to drink, using it as a cover to sniff the air. The actor's scent was also a bit odd, now that was an interesting development. That smell made his mouth water, he longed to sink his teeth into them, he could almost taste them on his tongue.

He shook his head pulling himself back under control as someone approached, "hey Fred, " the man spoke, "the boss is busting a nut right now, seems the steady cam operator had a liquid lunch and dropped the thing!"

Fred rose, plastering a vapid look on his face and followed the man out of the area. As he passed the table where David and The Doctor were sitting he allowed himself one more deep breath of their scent, "soon," he promised himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Later that night, at the hotel room, The Doctor was filling David in on what he had been able to discover.

"I scanned your co-stars and they all checked out fine, so that's a good thing," The Doctor smiled as he took a banana from the fruit bowl and peeled it.

"What about the crew?" David asked watching The Doctor devour the fruit in two bites. He waited patiently as the Time Lord quickly chewed and swallowed.  
"The problem is they don't seem to ever stand still, the director is OK, but no one else stayed in place long enough," The Doctor complained, reaching for another banana.

David was lost in thought for a moment but finally he spoke, "aside from interviewing everyone on set how are we going to find someone who is so obviously good at keeping hidden?"

The Doctor finished the second banana, "without drawing attention to ourselves? It's going to be difficult. You are too high profile, maybe I can recruit some help from Torchwood, they've got some pretty sophisticated equipment."

"But until you know what you're looking for how would they know what to search on?" David asked.

"Good point," The Doctor nodded thoughtfully as he finished the third banana, "in the meanwhile I'm starving, let's get something to eat!"

\---

It was not hard to find the actor and his odd friend, Fred smiled as he waited in the shadows. After all everyone was housed in the same hotel. But he had to be careful, until he had sized them up it was best to keep to the edges and not make himself stick out.

The moment he was let off of work he rushed back to his room, remembering that the actor had referred to his friend as a Time Lord, he fired up his laptop and looked that up. Time Lords were a spook story, according to every article he read on the internet. A fairy tale of some supreme overlords of yore.

Obviously the actor was being humorous when he called his friend a Time Lord. Maybe it was an in joke between the two of them, but the fact remained that there was something odd about both of them. Perhaps Time Lords did exist after all? He wondered what one would taste like. His teeth fairly tingled and his tongue grew moist as the passed by his hiding place.

He pictured sinking his teeth into them; the honey spiced scent that was strong in the stranger and slightly more diluted in the actor hit his taste buds like the most delicious of exotic fruits. But he fought the urge to attack them on the spot.

His body quivered with the effort of holding back, he waited until they were almost out of sight before following them into the night.

\---

"What about here?" David pointed to a small cafe that looked pretty deserted, "they look like they could use our business."

The Doctor didn't seem to hear him at all; instead he kept looking over his shoulder distractedly. David tapped him on the shoulder, "what's wrong?"

"I think we're being followed," The Doctor explained.

David glanced around, the side street they had walked down was empty, aside from the cafe all the businesses were shut for the night, "I don't see anyone.'

"Neither do I," The Doctor whispered, "but I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched."  
"Let's go inside," David gestured at the cafe door, "take a window seat and get a better view."

The Doctor nodded distractedly, then went completely still, "did you hear that?"

"I didn't hear anything."

Just then a raccoon shuffled out from an alley way, a bit of a fish skeleton dangling from its mouth. It stood up on its hind legs and looked at them with eyes that seemed to glow in the dark.

"Maybe that is what you heard?" David laughed as the raccoon sauntered away.

"Perhaps..." The Doctor replied sounding less than convinced. Then he smiled brightly, "food! That cafe looks like it would do the trick nicely!"

David shook his head at the Time Lord's sudden shift of mood it was one of his more puzzling qualities, he mused.

The Doctor opened the door to the cafe and bounded in with a crooked grin on his face, "hope they have good tea, not the stuff in bags, but the proper stuff! Tea from bags tastes like a brown crayon dipped in hot water, don't you agree?"

"Right..." David laughed, "I had never really thought of it that way."

The Doctor waited until he was sure David was distracted by the menu to stare out into the night, his smile slipping as he did so. Sure that somewhere out there a pair of eyes was watching him just as intently.


	4. Chapter 4

That night while David slept The Doctor slipped out of the hotel room. He was certain whoever he had felt earlier was still on his trail, so he decided to see if he could flush him or her out. He purposefully walked down ill lit streets, choosing to stay away from brightly illuminated areas, making himself a tempting target.

As he made his way along a crowd disgorged from a closing pub, and he was temporarily caught up in a tidal wave of inebriated people. All of a sudden someone shoved him hard from behind, and he fell to his knees.

"You OK mate?" one of the voices slurred in his ear as he was helped up.

"You should go easy on the whiskey next time," another voice offered, "you're a light weight!"

"Thanks," The Doctor brushed off his hands and knees checking to be sure he was not broken anywhere. The push had not been an accident. Some had deliberately knocked him down, but why? And better yet, who?

The figure bit back a laugh as he saw the stranger looking around for him. He really shouldn't have risked such close contact at this early stage of the game but the crowd offered him the perfect camouflage. The minute he touched the tall thin man he knew this being was not human. He was cold to the touch, and his aura, and energy was all wrong. Was he a creature like himself? If so why was he hanging around the actor? Was the Scottish man his pet?

This was more complicated than he had originally planned on. Better tread lightly, there were rumours of a race of superior beings among his kind. Perhaps this skinny stranger was one of them?

He slunk back to the shadows, his eyes never leaving The Doctor, but now instead of blood lust shining through the haze, he held fear in his soul.

The Doctor was still a bit shaken by the attack; he had a small cut on the palm on his hand that throbbed in time with his heart beats, which were thundering loudly in his chest. Deciding he had had enough fun for the night, he made his way back to the hotel room.

As he passed the figure in the shadows, the smell of the blood from The Doctor's hand hit the man in the alley like a sharp blow to the gut.

"Who are you?" the man breathed, as the scent tickled his nostrils.  
\---

The sun was just coming up when The Doctor finally relaxed enough to stop pacing the room. He flopped down on the sofa and regarded the bandage on his hand, staring at it so intently as if he was trying to see past the layers of cloth and latex to the wound underneath.

He heard David stirring in the next room, the sound of a shower being taken and then moments later the actor emerged, hair wet and sticking up at all angles, wrapped in a thick terry cloth robe. He blinked at The Doctor sleepily, "you look like hell," he offered as he set about making a pot of coffee for himself and a cup of tea for the Time Lord.

"Thanks," The Doctor snorted, "I had an interesting night."

David sat down next to The Doctor, "what happened?"

"I went out for a walk after you went to bed," The Doctor explained, "and someone attacked me."

"Are you OK?" David was now completely awake and giving the Time Lord the once over. He took in the scuffs at the knees on the jeans, and the bandage wrapped around The Doctor's hand, "wait, what in the hell were you thinking going out on your own?"

The Doctor smiled at that, "I have managed to take care of myself for many years before I met you, but thanks for your concern."

"That was stupid, you know that you're being followed, perhaps even stalked and you do that anyway?" David was not letting up; his large dark eyes were full of concern.

Before The Doctor could say anything else the phone rang. David jumped up to answer it, when he returned he sat back down on the sofa, "I'm being collected in a half hour, are you going to come to the set? or stay here?"

The Doctor weighed his options, "I didn't get any sleep last night, so I'll stay here, get a nap in and check in on the TARDIS."

"Promise me you won't go out looking for this person on your own again?" David looked The Doctor in the eye.

"Would I do that? Knowing how strongly you feel about it?" The Doctor gave his best innocent look, complete with big doe eyes.

"Yes," David nodded, "you would. You seem to have this strange idea that you are invincible. Now, promise me."

"I promise," The Doctor intoned seriously, hiding his crossed fingers under a throw pillow.

"Good!" David rose to get dressed, but turned around and walked back, "I'll call when I get a break, I'll ring the phone once, then hang up and ring again so you'll know it's me. If you change your mind I'll have someone collect you later, just let me know," David jotted down his mobile number on a bit of hotel stationery.

After he had left the room The Doctor poured some tea for himself and some coffee into a travel mug for David.

As the actor put on his jacket and got his things together the Time Lord handed him the beverage, "have a good day at the office dear," he joked giving David a quick peck on the cheek to complete the gag.

David wasn't smiling, "remember you promised. Stay out of trouble!"

"Yes mommy," The Doctor pulled a face as David left the hotel room, sticking his tongue out at the closing door.


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor finished his tea and decided to head to the TARDIS. He really didn't need to check in on her, but he felt at loose ends in the hotel room. He figured it was safe to venture out during the day. Hedging his bet that whoever it was was probably at the film set, which he planned to swing by later on.

He got out to the street before realising he was mistaken. Again there was that sensation of being followed, but this time the malice, the feeling of being hunted was gone. Instead he reached out telepathically and felt someone who had a more clinical interest somewhere behind him.

He made several abrupt course changes and ducked into random side streets attempting to lose the presence. But was unable to shake his pursuer. Just when he thought his nerves were about to explode he whipped around and came face to face with a brown haired man with amused blue eyes standing in front of him, "it's about time you turned around," the man laughed at him, "I did everything but play the maracas to get your attention."

The Doctor sized him up before replying, "can you actually play the maracas?" he asked.

The man shrugged, "not sure, but they don't require tuning up so I'm set there."

"Why are you following me?" The Doctor's voice was casual but the other man could see the anger in his eyes.

"I don't know if you're trying to blend in," the man gestured at The Doctor's outfit, "but you stick out like a sore thumb. You intrigued me."

"Now that you've satisfied your curiosity..." The Doctor started.

"Not by a long shot," the other cut him off, "you're obviously not a local boy. You smell wrong."

"I forgot to wash up this morning," The Doctor shot back.

"You could bathe in perfumed bath salts for days and still wouldn't cover the fact that you're not from around here," the man laughed. This time as he flashed his teeth The Doctor noticed that his canines were elongated.

"Vampire?" he asked, leaning in close to the other man.

"What about the lack of a tan and the fangs made you think that?"

"Why would a vampire be interested in me?" The Doctor asked, "you only drink the blood of humans, and as you quite accurately sussed out I'm not one."

"We can drink blood of other creatures. But you're right the nourishment we need comes from humans. But you could be a dessert for someone who has more exotic tastes," came the reply.

"Like you?" The Doctor's voice was deathly cold.

"That's where you're wrong," the vampire shook his head, "I'm not a threat to you. But there is one of us that is. You've attracted the attention of a, sad to say, rogue vampire. We have codes and rules but he is less inclined to follow them. He hunts in a manner that draws attention and gets noticed instead of keeping to the fringes."

The vampire looked off into the distance, "a full blooded Time Lord like yourself is in no danger you could easily take him in a fight. But your friend, the one with the human/Time Lord blood cocktail? That's the one the rogue is after. He won't attack you when you're together, he will try to take you out, remove the protection. He could grow strong with that mix flowing in his veins."

"What do you gain from telling me this?" The Doctor glared at him.

"You're clever," the other replied, "you work it out."

The Doctor looked away for moment thinking about what the other man had said; when he turned back the vampire was gone. No trace of him remained. Only the uneasy feeling that he really should get to the film set. If what the vampire had told him was true, David was in great danger.

\---

Not needed at the moment Fred walked over the fans grouped at the barriers watching the filming, shopping for his next meal. He really wanted to sink his fangs into the stranger's pet actor, but knew that it would be too risky in broad daylight. Instead he homed in on a willowy blonde holding an A4 sized glossy and a pen in her hand hopefully.

"Would you like to meet him?" Fred pointed at the photo.

"Are you kidding?" the woman shrieked, "I'd do anything to meet him!"

Fred grinned, a feral light in his eyes as he looked her up and down, "anything?" he asked teasingly.

"Mister," she winked, "you get me an up close and personal meeting with him," she tapped the glossy with a long red nail, "and I'll make it worth your while!"

Fred looked around, checking for security, and then lifted the rope holding the fans back, "let's discuss this in private," he winked at her as she ducked under the barrier. He put his arm around her as he lead her to the back of the lot towards the equipment lorries.


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor parked the TARDIS behind a row of large trash bins and walked toward the film set. As he made his way through the lookers-on he heard a woman calling out, "Jessica? Jessica? Where are you?"

He walked over to her, "your friend gone missing?"

The small dark haired woman looked at his all access pass and his concerned face before answering, "I came down from Edinburgh last night with her. She's my mate. Long blonde hair, wearing a Doctor Who tshirt, and jeans. I went to get something to drink and when I came back she's gone."

"Where was she last?" The Doctor asked, scanning the crowd.

"Right there," the woman pointed to the front of the crowd, "she was hoping to get a picture signed. I can't imagine she'd leave without telling me!"

"Maybe she needed some air?" The Doctor offered, clearly not believing that excuse any more than the woman did. He felt in his very core that Jessica had probably become the rogue vampire's morning tea break.

The woman rolled her eyes at him and waved him off dismissively, "Jessica was not going to shift from that spot until she got her picture autographed. Believe me it would take an act of God to move her before then."

The Doctor walked away, his nerves wound tighter than a guitar string, he needed to get to David and warn him before he became lunch!

The minute a break was called The Doctor pulled David aside and explained what had happened, since they had parted ways that morning.

"You promised me you were going to stay put in the hotel room and out of trouble," David replied once the Time Lord had finished.

"I lied," The Doctor shrugged, "but the important thing is you need to be extra careful, you're on the menu!"

"I thought vampires could only go out at night?" David took a sip of coffee, then setting it down he put two fingers up to his mouth, pointing down, "and had great big fangs that stuck out a mile."

"Vampires have very sensitive eyes, and prefer the dark to hunt in, but they can come out during the day. They aren't afraid of crosses or garlic and sleep in coffins only if they think it'll make them look cool," The Doctor rattled on at break neck speed, then he paused, "you seem awfully relaxed for someone who had just been told they're on the buffet."

"I'm not sure I believe in vampires," David shrugged, "besides, you said you scanned for alien life, why didn't you pick up on that?"

The Doctor leaned back, "vampires aren't alien. They are basically human with a mutation of the blood, so they wouldn't be picked up in a scan of that nature."

"So there are actual vampires walking amongst us?" David laughed humourlessly.

"You'd be surprised what passes on a daily basis for regular folks. In a gathering of any size there's bound to be a vampire or two, a werewolf, perhaps a succubus or incubus, a demon..."

"Or an alien," David cut in, gesturing at the Time Lord.

"Or an alien/human mix," The Doctor smiled back.

"In effect what you're saying is potentially there's one in every crowd," David sighed.

"Exactly!" The Doctor shouted, causing many pairs of eyes to turn his way. He took a deep breath and continued in a more conversational tone, "and in this case, that 'one' has gotten a particular craving, you."

David folded his hands on the table, "that is a bit unsettling. But there are so many people around me on a daily basis, I can't hide in the caravan all day and I'm not willing to stay a prisoner in the hotel room at night."

"I'll be nearby at all times," The Doctor assured him, "trust me, no harm will come to you."

"Right..." David grinned crookedly.

The Doctor frowned at that but quickly changed the subject, "I think he's already fed today, so you may be safe for now."

"What does that mean?"

"I believe he grabbed one of your fans from the crowd, and um," The Doctor made an exaggerated biting gesture clicking his teeth together loudly.

The call came to get back to work, David stood up, "I'll be careful," he assured the Time Lord.

"I'll be watching," The Doctor nodded at him, then looking around uneasily he spoke softly, "and so will you," he whispered to the unseen being he sensed was somewhere close at hand.


	7. Chapter 7

Fred heard the call to return to work, the timing couldn't be better he smiled as he wiped his lips with the back of his hand. The body, once he had drained it dry was easy to dispose of; he just tossed it in one of the large trash bins without a second thought. As he walked away he failed to notice the strange little blue box just peeking out from behind one of the bins.

Joining his work mates Fred looked around for the tall stranger. He spied him talking to some of the assembled fans, asking about a missing woman. Fred resisted the urge to tell the thin interloper where he could find this 'Jessica'. "Wouldn't that be a revelation?" he bit back a giggle. He passed by the stranger close enough to read his pass, "John Smith," he snorted to himself as he moved out of earshot, "not bloody likely."

The Doctor was so caught up in quizzing people about the missing woman, who had she last been seen with, etc., that he didn't catch the spark of electricity that came from the rogue vampire until he was already gone. He cursed himself under his breath and tried to recapture the trail but with all the people around him he couldn't track the vampire down.

During a pause while the next shot was being set up a well built man with obviously bleached blonde hair and dark roots approached David, holding an A4 glossy print and a pen out, "could you sign this for my niece?" the man asked.

"Sure," David smiled, taking the objects from the man. He uncapped the pen and hovered it over the picture, "what's your niece's name?"

The man thought quickly, "her name is Jane; she is a huge fan of yours."

David wrote on a corner of the photo "To Jane with love," and signed his name, capped the pen and held it and the photo out for the man to take.

Maybe it was a trick of the light, but as the man's hand brushed his and lingered more than seemed necessarily he looked up at him. Staring back from the man's face was a pair of almost blood red eyes. He took a step back involuntarily and by the time he regained his composure the man was gone.

He was still standing there in confusion trying to figure out what he had really just witnessed when he felt a hand on his shoulder. David had heard the phrase about jumping out of one's skin, but until that moment he never realised it was more accurate than exaggeration. Once he got his breath back he saw The Doctor looking at him, his brow furrowed with concern, "are you all right?"

"I just," David started, then taking a deep breath, "this guy came up to me to sign something for his niece and I swear his eyes were bright red, well just for a moment."

The Doctor grabbed David's hands in his, "what did he look like?" he asked his voice urgent.

"Aside from the red eyes?"

"Yes! Was he tall, short, thin, heavy? anything stand out, aside from the red eyes?" The Doctor prompted.

David thought for a moment, "he had a bad dye job, white blonde hair with black roots..."

"Anything else?"

"That's it, sorry," David apologised.

The Doctor dropped his grip on David, "hopefully that will be enough."

David leaned in really close, "is he the vampire?" he whispered, not wishing to be overheard lest the people with the butterfly nets and those uncomfortable looking tie-in-the-back jackets come for him.

"Odds are, yes," The Doctor nodded, "he's getting bolder, he just showed me he thinks he can get to you any time. That's my fault for letting my guard down, but it won't happen again."

"What does he want from me?" David asked.

"Your blood," The Doctor explained, "mine is incompatible, vampires can drink the blood of any living thing, but it's like eating sweets. May taste good but there's little to no nutritional value. If they could assimilate my blood they'd gain some of my power but because they can't it would just pass through them. But since you have a mostly human make up, with that little extra kick of Time Lord, they can use your blood to gain in strength."

"Lovely," David sighed.

"The other vampire told me this one stalking you is a rogue, that he is somehow operating outside the laws of his kind," The Doctor pressed on, "my guess is the vampires would love to put a stop to him as well. So he's probably desperate to get the upper hand."

The Doctor looked around, "so we just need to look for him and stop him. Shouldn't be too hard to find him, how many people have that kind of hair can there be?"

"If he's smart, he'll change the colour before making another attempt," David reasoned, "especially since that's the only thing about him that stands out..."

At first The Doctor didn't quite follow him, then he groaned, "I hope he isn't that clever," but deep in his hearts he knew that the vampire wasn't stupid, and that it would be a challenge to find him. A challenge he fervently hoped that he would win.

Unnoticed by both The Doctor and David, Fred was hovering just outside their sight listening in on the conversation. He ran a hand through his short hair, and smiled. "I wonder how I'd look as a brunette," he laughed and then he turned away to lose himself in the crowd.


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor really wanted to have David spend the night in the TARDIS where he could be protected but David opted to stay in the hotel room instead. After the dinner they ordered in was eaten David studied the script for the next day. The quiet, peaceful setting failed to soothe The Doctor's frayed nerves.

David looked up and realised The Doctor was staring at him unblinkingly, "what?" he asked taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

"I was trying to picture you as a vampire," The Doctor admitted.

"I don't think I'd like that very much," David replied.

The Doctor didn't take his eyes off of the actor, "when he handed you that picture did he touch you?"

David thought about it, "he brushed my hand, that's it," he held up his right hand and turned it over to show the concerned Time Lord that his skin was unmarked.

David picked up the script again and settled his glasses back on to his nose, but before he could read another line he heard a sigh coming from The Doctor, "what's wrong?" he asked putting the script down on the end table.

"I hate waiting," The Doctor gestured at the room, “this place is too vulnerable, you are exposed here."

"The curtains are closed," David joked, then seeing the expression on the Time Lord's face he paused, "I really doubt he's going to try anything with you here."

"I suppose..."

David stood up and crossed to the phone, "why don't we order up a bottle of wine? I know I could go for a glass or two."

The Doctor nodded and settled back on the sofa, willing himself to relax. Moments later a room service water brought a bottle of wine to the room and poured two glasses out before taking his leave.

The Doctor tipped his glass back and drained it in one gulp, and David took a healthy swig, then a smaller sip before setting the glass down with a frown, "I think that's gone off," he pointed at the glass, "it tastes bitter."

Before that statement had time to sink in the actor's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell forward off the chair and onto the floor.

The Doctor struggled to his feet. Feeling dizzy and off balance he knelt next to David, trying to pick him up. But his vision doubled and he couldn't keep the prone actor in focus. Resisting the urge to give up and just go to sleep he crawled over to the phone and pulled it down next to him. By closing one eye he could just barely see the keypad, but before he could dial out the phone was snatched from his hands.

Standing over the Time Lord was a man wearing a hotel waiter's uniform, the bright red velvet of the jacket nicely complimenting the bright red eyes that were now glaring down at him. The last thing The Doctor saw was the man's fist rushing towards his chin and then he saw nothing at all.

\---

“Good morning sunshine,” a voice chirped as The Doctor sat up with a groan. The speaker was the same dark haired vampire with the light eyes the Time Lord had met up with before.

“What happened?” The Doctor managed to slur out even though his tongue felt about five sizes too big for his mouth.

“Your friend is gone,” the vampire helped The Doctor to the sofa, “I had asked an associate to keep tabs on the rogue but he got distracted by choice prey, believe me he will suffer for disobeying me. Whilst my associate was otherwise occupied, the rogue got into the hotel, and by means unknown to me drugged you both.”

At that The Doctor leapt to his feet, almost instantly regretting that action as a wave of nausea hit him, he bent down taking deep gulping breaths through his mouth until the sick feeling abated somewhat.

“We need to find David, and fast!” The Doctor declared once he was able to speak again.

“I agree,” the vampire replied, “for purely selfish reasons on my part. I don’t know your David from Adam, but I can’t have an already out of control vampire gaining strength and becoming more of a danger.”

\---

David was woken from his drugged slumber by a sharp pain in his wrist. He opened his eyes trying to focus on the source of the discomfort and saw a man kneeling next to him holding onto to his arm. He tried to sit up but could only shift a bit, feeling suddenly quite weak.

The man must have noticed the movement because he looked up and smiled at him, his elongated teeth dripping blood, as the red eyes glared at David. After a moment of intense silence the man laughed loudly and got to his feet, “don’t worry,” the chuckled, “I don’t plan on draining you completely…not yet.”

“You’re a vampire?” David managed to croak out.

“Such a clever boy,” the vampire replied, “yes, I am. And you are my new favourite snack. With your blood in my veins, no one can stop me!”

“The Doctor will,” David shot back with a bravado he wasn’t quite feeling.

“The Time Lord? I wouldn’t count on it,” the vampire snorted, “we have plans for him too.”

“We?”

“Enough chit-chat,” the vampire replied and bending down, grabbed David’s arm and sank his teeth into it.

After the initial pain the only thing David felt was a strange pulling sensation like his very soul was being sucked out of him.


	9. Chapter 9

The vampire watched The Doctor pacing the length of the hotel room, "think!" the Time Lord demanded of him, "where would he take David?"

"I honestly don't know," came the reply, "we just started to get a fix on this rogue ourselves. He's not from our family and doesn't seem to be part of any known clan."

"What would a vampire do with a victim?" The Doctor whirled on him.

"Personally? I’d take him to dinner, share a bottle of wine, perhaps a bit of dancing..." the vampire smiled, "then maybe back to my home for a bit of romance and perhaps a midnight snack."

"You like to play with your food."

"I hadn't thought of it that way," the vampire laughed, "sometimes if the man or woman is particularly charming I only take a little nip or leave them completely un-bitten. Especially if I'd already fed."

"You're not very helpful," The Doctor grumbled.

"The point I was trying to make was that each of us hunts in our own way, I 'play with my food' as you put it, some prefer a more impersonal touch, while others like to act out scenes from B-grade horror films," the vampire waved his hands dramatically, "it's all down to the individual."

"Had you figured out where this rogue lives?"

"I don't think he had a place locally. He seems to be itinerant, we checked out his contract with the filming production company, he's a temporary worker. Hired for this production, he's a grip. Gave the name of Fred Sands, obviously a fake. I'm sure the real Fred Sands was a meal at some point and the rogue lifted his identity."

"What about you?" The Doctor stopped pacing.

"What about me?"

"What's your name?"

The vampire smiled, "I'd say John Smith but you seem to have already snagged that one, Doctor. You can call me Dmitri."

"All right, Dmitri, if you were a betting man, where would you bet 'Fred' has David hidden?"

Dmitri thought about this, "some place secluded, no windows or boarded up ones, far away from prying eyes and ears."

The Doctor fell silent obviously trying to work out his next move.

"Tell me, who is he to you?" Dmitri prompted, "it's quite obvious there's some connection. You look alike and he's mixed blood."

"It's a long and very complicated story," The Doctor waved him off, "but the most important thing is he is my friend. That's all you need to know."

"That's all you think I need to know," Dmitri grinned, "but that is certainly not the end of it."

“Fine,” The Doctor replied dismissively, “but while we’re babbling away this rogue, Fred, has David and the longer we talk the more time he has to do whatever it is he’s planning on doing.”

Dmitri looked up at the Time Lord, “you have no idea where he is, so if I may ask how does rushing out on a blind hunt going to help you?”

“I’m not completely blind,” The Doctor called over his shoulder as he took off out of the hotel room at a dead run. Dmitri rose from the sofa and at a more leisurely pace followed the Time Lord.

\---

Left alone to “recuperate” as the vampire put it, David took in his surroundings. He was in a small room, a bed in one corner, an old fashioned arm chair with a burst cushion in another and a small bathroom with no windows set in one wall.

The blood letting had left him feeling woozy but he was determined to not let that stop him from trying to find a way out. The bites on his arm and the newest one on his shoulder throbbed in time with his heart beat, and he felt achy all over like he had come down with the flu. But he refused to just give in.

Looking around the room he saw nothing he could use as a weapon, “but how do you fight a vampire?” he wondered. Remembering The Doctor’s list of things that didn’t work, garlic and crosses wasn’t terribly helpful as he didn’t have either on him anyway. Although the imagery of carrying a spare garlic clove around in emergencies was pretty darn amusing.

Thinking of garlic reminded him that he hadn’t eaten in while. As if on cue a panel opened and a woman bearing a tray appeared. She set it down on the chair, “eat up,” she smiled revealing pearly white fangs as she did so, “we need you to stay healthy.”

“Then stop biting me,” David shot back.

She laughed, a hollow sound that set David’s teeth on edge, the sound seeming to ring off the walls and grow in volume. The she abruptly stopped, turned on heel and left the room. As the panel slid shut David tried to wedge his foot into the opening to stop it from closing all the way. He wasn’t quick enough and it slammed shut sliding over the toe of his shoe as it did so.

Trying not to let that get him down, he distracted himself by regarding the tray the woman had set down. It was a veritable feast of meats, most of them rare, or raw. Iron rich foods, he noted, good for the blood. The smell of the food hit him like a punch in the gut and the idea of eating anything suddenly made his stomach turn.

Looking at the tray again he spied the sharp steak knife sitting next to the plate of still quivering rare liver, now that could be useful! He hid the knife inside the burst cushion of the chair for safe keeping.

Suddenly feeling decidedly worse he lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes. Before falling into a deep sleep he prayed that The Doctor would find him, and soon.


	10. Chapter 10

Through the peep hole in the wall the rogue vampire watched David fall into a restless sleep, dismayed that the prey had not eaten. The minute this man’s blood hit his tongue he knew he had struck gold. The familiar salty taste was underscored by a sweet nectar that was tinged with something that fired all his nerves at once. He felt himself grow in strength, his senses more keen than ever.

It took all his will to not drain every last drop of that heady mix, his rational mind overriding the base urge to gorge himself. He knew that this was something to be partaken of lightly but over a steady period of time he would gain enough power from this to rise up and take his place at the head of the vampire underworld.

Even now the urge to burst into the room and sink his teeth into the sleeping man’s neck made him want to scream with the effort of holding back.

Wondering how hard it would be to force feed someone he leaned back in his chair. The prey didn’t look particularly strong but it would be a task to threaten him into eating. After all, this man wasn’t stupid. He obviously couldn’t threaten to kill the actor; it would sound hollow knowing that his interest was in keeping the source of this rich blood alive. 

The smell of the cooked meats didn’t appeal to him either. He preferred his meat alive, heart thrumming until that last glorious moment when the last of the life drained out of them. He licked his lips remembering the sweet tasting blood, a feral look of delight in his eyes.

He stopped, getting himself back under control, “maybe he’s a vegetarian…” he reasoned looking back into the room. And firing up his laptop he researched iron rich and meat free dishes.

What seemed like only minutes after he had laid down David heard the sound of a door opening; it woke him out of a dead sleep. Standing in front of him was the formerly blonde now brown haired man he had seen on the film set.

The man attempted a friendly smile, that was hampered by this long teeth glistening in the artificial light, “you didn’t eat your supper,” he gestured at the tray of now congealing meat, “so I brought you something more to your liking.” With that he set a bowl on David’s lap and handed him a glass of some dark liquid.

The dish looked like a vegetable garden exploded in bowl of some brownish grainy stuff, the vampire beamed at David, “it’s Quinoa with spinach, beet root, swiss chard and lima beans.”

“So let me get this straight,” David looked the vampire straight in the eye, “you want me to eat this to get enough energy back up so you can feed off of me again?”

The vampire’s smiled slipped. He had a million come backs dancing around in his head but he couldn’t come up with one that sounded sincere and caring fast enough. He could see by David’s expression no matter what he did say, it wasn’t going to convince him.

The silence was all David needed, he dumped the glass out on the floor and with a casual flick of his wrist he tossed the bowl at the wall. The bowl stuck momentarily before losing its grip on the cement block, spilling the contents and hitting the ground to shatter in a million pieces.

Looking at the mess the vampire dropped all pretence of civility, “you will eat,” he hissed at David, his eyes blazing red, then he stormed out of the room.  
\----

Dmitri wasn’t quite sure what to expect when The Doctor opened the blue box and stepped inside. He had been around for a few hundred years and had come across many a Police Telephone Box in their heyday but hadn’t seen one since the 1960s.

“Who are you going to call?” he asked as The Doctor disappeared into the box.

“Call?” The Doctor asked poking his head out, “I wasn’t planning on calling anyone. Are you coming in or not?” he ducked back inside.

Dmitri shook his head at the strange antics of the Time Lord, but curiosity eventually got the better of him and he walked to the open doors.

Instead of the usual bench and crude wooden slatted floor, the sight that greeted him was a well lit room, with many round windows and graceful curving arches that looked to be made of corral. The grating rang under his feet as he walked slowly up the ramp towards The Doctor. The Time Lord was casually leaning against a large round something in the middle of the great room, arms and legs crossed with a crooked grin on his face.

Dmitri struggled to regain his composure, “it’s…”

“Bigger on the inside,” The Doctor finished for him.

“I was going to say, ‘impressive’,” Dmitri corrected him, “but yes, now that you mention it, it is bigger on the inside.”

“Dmitri, the vampire, meet the TARDIS,” The Doctor spread his arms out wide.

Dmitri almost bowed to the centre console before catching himself, “it’s alive?” he gasped feeling the energy the TARDIS gave off tickling the edges of his mind.

“Yes, she is,” The Doctor agreed, “now that the introductions are made, let’s get down to business.”

Dmitri was still taking it all in and didn’t quite catch on, “business?”

The Doctor’s face grew serious, “You need to get that rogue vampire under control and I need to rescue David.”

“Your son?” Dmitri shot back hoping to catch The Doctor off guard.

“My friend, among other things, but no he’s not my son,” The Doctor smiled wistfully, “he also is not meant to be vampire feed.”

Suddenly remembering the incident with the Cohalks, and the news article that said David had disappeared while filming and his body never recovered, The Doctor’s hearts raced, “now, let’s get started!”


	11. Chapter 11

Dmitri ran his hands along the console, "the TARDIS is a living ship of some sort..." he mused as his fingers trailed the edge.

"She's a time capsule and so much more," The Doctor informed the vampire as he tapped a few keys on the keyboard in front of the monitor. With that he took Dmitri’s shoulders in his hands and moved him into the centre of one of the panels of grating, just to the side of the console, “stand here,” he ordered then stepped back.

The Doctor flipped a switch and a beam of light, a soft blue at first, emitted from the time rotor. The console room was filled with a soft humming sound, like bees in flight. Soon Dmitri found himself bathed in the beam; it scanned him head to toe a few times, and then went a brilliant white. The intensity of the light made him hold a hand up to shield his eyes, then it abruptly shut off.

“What was that?” Dmitri asked blinking rapidly trying to get his vision back.

“She scanned you,” The Doctor replied not looking up from the monitor.

“You could have warned me,” Dmitri grumbled wiping his hand across his stinging eyes.

“Sorry,” The Doctor replied, not sounding too convincing, “but I needed to get a bio-signature from you, so that I can scan for other vampires in the area.”

No sooner had the words left the Time Lord’s mouth when the monitor started beeping. Slowly at first, but then it sounded like someone tapping out Morse code after too many energy drinks. The Doctor stared at the screen in disbelief, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide. After a moment he gave a slight shudder and snapped his jaw closed with a loud click.

Dmitri came up behind him and glanced over The Doctor’s shoulder, “what do those red dots indicate?” he pointed at the screen.

“Vampires,” the Time Lord sighed, “this is going to be a bit more of a challenge than I previously thought,” he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

“There shouldn’t be this many,” Dmitri tapped the monitor, “even in major population centres like London or Glasgow there are usually only a few dozen at a time!”

“Maybe there is a vampire convention in town and you didn’t get the invite?” The Doctor offered.

“Unlikely,” Dmitri shook his head, “what are they doing here?”

But before The Doctor had a chance to reply, Dmitri’s face went still, “your friend…” he gasped, “they’re here for him. The rogue isn’t operating alone, it has to be! Your friend is in grave danger.”

The Doctor nodded sadly, “if we have to track down each and everyone one of them…” then he stopped, put his glasses back on and leaned in, “there seems to be a higher concentration right here!” he jabbed a finger at the monitor, “it’s time to go crash the party.”

“If you go into a mob of vampires you will be torn to shreds,” Dmitri informed him.

“Not if you take me there as your prisoner,” The Doctor smiled, “they’ll consider me a party favour. Think of me as your hostess gift.”

\----

Fred had left David’s room in a blind fury.

He was equally angry and scared that this prey had somehow gotten the upper hand. That was not how it was supposed to work! Vampires were superior to mere mortals, even mixed blood ones. But somehow the actor had stood up to him!

Now he was left with the knowledge that if he fed on David too many times without the man eating or drinking to rebuild the blood supply then he would be left hanging. The tease of the power he had felt would be lost!

He commanded himself to calm down. There were alternatives, surely? They used IVs and feeding tubes on patients in hospitals who couldn’t or wouldn’t take nourishment. He wondered how he could get his hands on that sort of equipment. It would require immobilising the prey, but he didn’t need to move to be fed upon.

Or maybe if he captured someone David cared about, like this Time Lord creature, and threatened to harm him if the actor didn’t eat?

The vampire smiled at this imagery, the mighty Time Lord trussed up, showing the proper amount of fear and respect that was his due. The actor losing his defiance and bending to his superior will. He moistened his lips, savouring the scene in his mind. Yes! That would show them! That would show them all!


	12. Chapter 12

David alternated between being freezing cold and then feeling like every part of him was on fire, he knew that the source of his misery were the bites that lined his arms and shoulders, growing ever nearer to his neck. They were red and sore and felt hot to the touch.

But with each bite the vampire grew more frustrated, he flew into a rage the last visit declaring that if David didn't eat or drink something, anything, soon that he would hunt down The Doctor and destroy him.

It was not helped by David laughing in the face of the threat, even though he knew he was playing with fire, showing the vampire he was not afraid of him seemed to be the only thing keeping him alive.

That and his blood. Which by the ever shortening sessions when the vampire fed on him, seemed to not be up to the other's standards.

Just the idea of being bitten again sent shooting pains up his spine. He bundled himself in the thin blanket as another round of chills knifed through him. It was time, he promised himself, to stop waiting to be rescued and take action.

When he was able to stop shivering he reached inside the split chair cushion and smiled as his fingers touched the handle of the knife. Keeping his back to the wall with the peep hole in it, he covered his movements by pretending to lean on the chair for support. He slid the knife into his pocket and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Next to the shower stall was a wooden chair, the arm was loose so he pulled it off the body of the assembly and spent some time whittling the end to a sharp point. Knowing that he needed to work on it over time, spending too much at once in the closed bathroom would arouse suspicion. He flushed the shavings down the toilet, reassembled the chair, and tucked the knife under the folded towels as he heard someone come into the room.

It was not his usual tormentor. This was an older man, with normal teeth, David noted as the man faked a smile. Even though this new comer was smartly dressed down to a white ascot tied around his throat David could see two very pronounced bite marks on the man's neck.

The man came bearing food. This time it was a tray of fruits and cheeses, and a cup of steaming hot coffee with milk. The sight made David's stomach growl, but he ignored it, "who are you?" he asked the man.

"I am a friend," the man's voice was soft and beguiling.

"Sorry, I've never met you and I really doubt we're mates," David replied.

"You look tired," the man smiled holding the cup of coffee out, "drink this."

"No thanks."

"Are you a prisoner too?" David asked eyeing the old man warily.

"I am an honoured guest," the man's face shone, "I was chosen, lead from my mundane existence and shown the way. I was promised eternal life."

"You're being converted?" David asked trying to suppress the shudder of revulsion at that thought.

"You could be too, if you'd only cooperate," came the reply, "you are mistaken! You are not a prisoner you are being exalted."

"I'm being treated like a juice box! I half expect to have a straw poked into my veins at any minute," David shot back.

The man seemed to have enough conversation and held the coffee out again, "drink," he passed the cup under David's nose.

Even though every fibre of his being desperately wanted the coffee David took the cup and flung it at the wall aiming for the peep hole, "get out and take that with you," he gestured at the tray. The old man quickly ran from the room, ducking as he went in case David launched something at him.

Once the man had gone David looked straight at the peep hole, "only a coward would send someone else to do his dirty work," he hissed, trying for his best menacing voice, even though deep down inside he was more frightened than he had ever been.


	13. Chapter 13

“I’m supposed to waltz into this brood of vampires, claiming you as my prisoner, offer you up as some sort of prize and you expect this to all work well out for you?” Dmitri puzzled watching The Doctor dig through some boxes in a store room.

“That’s the plan,” The Doctor’s muffled voice replied.

“Are you suicidal?”

The Time Lord peeked his head out from the storage closet, “not that I know of, why do you ask?”

“They’ll tear you to shreds,” Dmitri looked dismayed at this thought, “and I don’t know how many are there, but I can’t fight them all off. Once they get blood lust you’re on your own.”

“I can take care of myself,” The Doctor assured him, diving back into the closet, “ah! Here there are!” he came out with a red collar and long match leash.

“Should I even ask why you have those?” Dmitri smirked.

“The Master likes his toys.”

“And The Master is?” Dmitri prompted.

“Long story.”

“You use that excuse a lot,” Dmitri muttered, “how long could it really be?”

“You have no idea,” The Doctor laughed, then he affixed the collar around his neck and snapped the lead onto it, “once we step outside here you need to hold onto this. The way we need to play this is I’ll be defiant and you’ll be in control. If you need to hit me, I’d prefer a blow to the chest, or a slap to the face, but not the stomach.”

“You want me to hit you?” Dmitri grinned, “kinky.”

“No I do not!” The Doctor assured him, “but if you get into the role and it seems appropriate…”

“You really are a strange being,” Dmitri mused, taking the leash in his hands, “for your sake I hope this works.”

“Me too!” The Doctor beamed, “ready to put on a show?” he paused before opening the doors.

“I’d better be,” Dmitri set his face into a scowl, “let’s do this.”

The minute they stepped out of the TARDIS’ protection they were surrounded. The Doctor expected to be the focus of their attention and was taken by surprise when Dmitri was immediately surrounded.

“You have some nerve coming here,” one of the fanged women hissed at Dmitri.

“Kill him!” a voice shouted from the back of the room. Then the chant was picked up by others, soon the cries filled the air.

“Don’t you hate awkward reunions?” The Doctor asked Dmitri. Then turning to the crowd he waved, “hi, I’m The Doctor.”

Some of the vampires reluctantly looked away from Dmitri to stare at the Time Lord suspiciously. An older woman stepped forward, “why do you resemble the prey?” she asked getting in very close and sniffed The Doctor.

“Ah, by ‘the prey’ I assume you mean my friend, David,” he countered, “where is the dear boy?”

Two larger vampires separated from the crowd to grab Dmitri and The Doctor, they were bustled into a small room, they were shoved inside, and the door slammed after them. The locked clicked a second later and then everything was quiet.

“I haven’t been very honest with you….” Dmitri sighed.

“If it’s about you really being the rogue vampire,” The Doctor replied dismissively, “I already knew that.”

“What?” Dmitri’s jaw dropped.

“Oh come on, a vampire helping a mere mortal to rise up against another vampire? I would have to be the most thick being still drawing a breath if I didn’t know that.”

“But you played along,” Dmitri stammered.

“You seem a decent fellow, despite the whole blood sucking thing,” The Doctor shrugged, “and you were useful to get me into the brood to get to David.”

Then the Time Lord’s voice grew serious, “if you are hiding anything else from me, now would be the time to come clean.”

“Confession is good for the soul,” Dmitri scoffed.

“Perhaps but if I’m going to get you out of this as well as David, I need to know if you’re going to betray me, I need to be able to count on you,” The Doctor’s eyes seemed to grow darker as he spoke.

“My only goal is to stop ‘Fred’ from growing in strength. He is a threat to my very existence and the only way is to stop him from feeding on your friend. Our motives may be different but the end result, ideally, will be the same,” Dmitri explained.

The Doctor regarded Dmitri in silence for a moment, then broke into a big grin, “right! Time to get out of here and find David!”

“We’re locked in!”

“I have this,” The Doctor pulled a silver pen light object from his pocket and held it up, “it’s like a master key, it unlocks just about anything!” with that he aimed the device at the door, a small blue light shone from the tip as an odd humming sound filled the room. A second later the door jumped off the latch and swung open.

“After you,” the Time Lord gestured. Dmitri hesitated before walking out of the room, wondering what awaited them outside.


	14. Chapter 14

Dmitri and The Doctor soon discovered what waited for them, and it was not good. The Doctor found himself surrounded by red eyed, large fanged beings, as Dmitri was carried off by more of the same.

“Hello,” the Time Lord addressed the vampire holding him off the ground by his shoulders, “I’m The Doctor.”

“What you are,” the vampire countered, “is meat.”

“Well, I suppose if you want to look at it that way, then yes I am, but really would you want stringy meat like me? I’ve heard aged meats are in demand but nine hundred plus years may be a bit past the sell-by date and…”

The vampire shook his head as if the barrage of words coming from The Doctor was a swarm of insects on the attack, finally he shifted one hand to cover the Time Lord’s mouth, “be quiet,” he declared.

“Fair enough,” The Doctor’s muffled voice replied.

A vampire separated himself from the mob, and got in quite close to The Doctor, “you will come with me.”

The one holding The Doctor let him down, and but didn’t loosen his hold on the Time Lord.  
“Fred is it?” Doctor smiled, “I look forward to it. I’m guessing we’re going to visit David?”

“The prey is refusing to cooperate; you will convince him to do as I say,” Fred commanded.

“You obviously haven’t spent much time with David, sweet boy, charming and funny, but clearly has a mind of his own. What makes you think I can make him do anything?” The Doctor laughed.

Fred whirled around and glared at him, “if he does not I will have you killed.”

“I won’t give you points for subtlety or finesse,” the Time Lord sighed, “but I will say that if all you have to bargain with is my life, you may be in over your head.”

\----

David was hard at work sharpening the chair’s arm when he heard the door to his room open. He quickly resembled the chair and flushed the shavings down the toilet and emerged just in time to see The Doctor being hustled through the open door, followed by Fred and some rather imposing looking vampires.

“Nice place,” The Doctor took in the surroundings, “could use with a bit of colour; it would really brighten up things!”

“On a scale from one to ten as far as rescues go,” David sighed, “I’d give this about a two.”

“Early days yet,” The Doctor assured him, with a grin. Then taking a good look at the actor his jovial façade slipped. David looked haggard, ill and in desperate need of a substantial meal, “how are you doing?” he asked his eyes full of concern.

“Aside from being repeatedly bitten and drained?” David shot back, “great, thanks.”

“Enough chit-chat!” Fred interrupted, then with a nod to his fellows, the larger vampires seized The Doctor by the throat hauling him off his feet, “you will eat, you will drink or he will die,” he hissed at David.

“Don’t do it,” The Doctor managed to gasp out, “don’t listen to him!”

“If I do, you promise to let him go? Unharmed?” David asked.

“You have my word,” Fred smiled his eyes holding triumph; “he will be given safe passage out of here.”

“What about Dmitri?” the Time Lord’s strangled voice called out.

“The rogue is not your concern,” Fred growled at him.

“The deal extends to Dmitri,” David added, not sure who that was but figuring that if The Doctor was concerned about this person, he’d include Dmitri in his bargaining.

Fred regarded David for a moment, the extended his hand to grasp the actor’s, “agreed!”

The Doctor was dropped to the ground at that, he quickly jumped back up, “no! Listen to me, you can’t do this!” he shouted as he was being escorted out, “they will keep you alive just to feed off of you! That is not living!”

David turned away as The Doctor grew louder and more insistent, shutting out the Time Lord’s voice. The Doctor was dragged screaming from the room. When the door shut it was just two of them left, Fred smiled, almost leering at David, and ran his tongue over his elongated fangs.

“I will have a tray brought in, and as soon as you are finished eating, all of it, we will release your friends,” with that Fred turned and left the room.


	15. Chapter 15

Dmitri looked like he had put through a grinder, his clothes were tattered and it was hard to find a square centimetre of flesh on him that didn’t have a scratch or cut on it. He was brought into the room and shoved through the open doorway coming to rest next to The Doctor.

“What’s going on?” Dmitri asked once he regained his balance, “I was just about to be set upon when they were called off.”

“An unholy bargain,” The Doctor’s voice was so quiet even Dmitri’s keen hearing had a hard time making out what he said.

“Where’s your friend?” Dmitri looked around the room.

“He’s the bargain,” came the reply, curiously toneless and flat.

“I don’t understand,” Dmitri replied.

The Doctor finally looked at him, “in exchange for Fred and his ghastly crew being able to use David as a mobile blood bank, we’re to be let go!” he almost shouted, “I tried to stop him from agreeing to that, but he wouldn’t listen to me! I don’t know if they hypnotised him or he’s too weak to think clearly.”

Dmitri shook his head sadly, “the bite can infect the bitten. Your friend...”

“His name is David,” The Doctor snapped.

“Sorry, David is a very brave man,” Dmitri finished, "but I think he is has signed his own death warrant."

"He did it to save me, and by default you," The Doctor's voice was back to the quiet, almost toneless cadence.

"That's good, though, right?" Dmitri asked.

"No!" The Doctor shouted, "I do not get saved, I save others! It's not supposed to work this way!"

"There's nothing saying that once you, and I are freed that we cannot rescue him at a later time," Dmitri soothed.

"I am not leaving here without him!" The Doctor hissed, "they are not going to win!"

"What do you plan to do?" Dmitri asked.

"I'm working on that, and it would really help if you were quiet and gave me time to think!"

Dmitri swallowed his next comment, giving the Time Lord his space. Instead he prowled around the room checking out the door then the small window set in one wall. Loathe to interrupt The Doctor while he was thinking Dmitri just stopped still and waited until he looked up at him.

"What?"

Dmitri pointed to the window, "it's not barred, and you're thin enough to squeeze through..."

The Doctor looked up, his serious expression quickly giving over to a smile, "that would work!" he grinned sizing up the opening. He grabbed the only chair in the room, scooted it over to the window and using the sonic screwdriver shattered the glass.

Before Dmitri could recover from the flying debris The Doctor was up and out of the room, just his trainers visible as he shimmied out the window. Just when Dmitri wondered if the Time Lord had forgotten him The Doctor's face filed the hole, "I'll be back as soon as I get David out of that room!" he smiled widely and then disappeared.

\----

Using the excuse that eating so much food after a mini-hunger strike had made him feel ill, David shut himself in the bathroom while Fred waited anxiously outside.

He had sharpened the chair's arm to a fine point, and it looked near enough like a wooden stake. David just hoped that he could sneak it out of the bathroom and be able to use it when the time came.

The idea of killing anything, even someone who had tormented him and kept him prisoner didn't sit well with him. But it was either that or allow himself to be fed from and possibly have this vampire kill others with his newly and ill gotten strength.

David stared at himself in the mirror the cracked and pock marked mirror over the basin. Could he really do this? he wondered.

"Eating was just one part of the bargain!" Fred's impatient voice cut through his soul searching, and caused him to jump slightly.

Stealing his nerves he slid the sharpened chair arm into the waist band of his jeans and pulled his shirt over it. Double checking that nothing was visible he splashed water on his face and opened the door.

Fred regarded him with a hungry, fevered leer on his face, "I was beginning to wonder if you had fallen in," he snapped, "you will get five minutes to make yourself ready, I'll be just outside here," he gestured to the door, "but don't try anything I will be watching."

With that he left the room, anticipation of the meal to come made him smile widely enough that his elongated teeth shone in the dim light. Soon he would have fire in his veins and then he would deal with the rogue and that meddling Time Lord once and for all. Bargain be damned!


	16. Chapter 16

As soon as the vampire left the room David turned his back to the peep hole and using the movement of fluffing up the pillows on the bed, slid the make shift stake under them. Knowing that he had to use the stake early in the feeding session, before he became too weak to struggle, so he made sure he could easily reach it without drawing too much attention.

He really hoped he had the nerve to go through with this, and prayed that The Doctor and whoever this Dmitri person was, were safe.

It seemed only seconds later when the vampire burst back into the room, usually he had David sit on the edge of the bed or lay down for these sessions so that his arms were easily accessible. This time, however, was different.

Perhaps the anticipation had built him up into a frenzy because Fred rushed the actor and grabbed him lifting him off the floor with one hand. He then slammed David up against the wall, knocking the breath from him. Then using his body to pin his prey to the cold brick, he grabbed a hand full of David's hair and yanked his head back, exposing his throat.

Anticipating the bite to land on his shoulder David was dismayed when the familiar sharp pain came at his neck. He lost all will and ability to move, and his eyes clouded over as the vampire drank deeply.

\----

Through trial and error, and a few broken windows The Doctor finally found the room he hoped held David. Given the extra care someone took to keep others out, or perhaps someone in, he hedged his bets that he was in the right place. He loosened the outer layer of boards and brick only to find more layers of material between him and the opening. 

"Obviously doesn't want uninvited visitors just dropping in," the Time Lord mumbled to himself as his long fingers dug at the coverings.

Finally getting to the smoky glass The Doctor peered in, the room certainly looked familiar but at first glance it appeared to be empty. By shifting his vantage point a bit, he was able to make out some movement on the far wall.

The sight made his hearts stop in his chest momentarily. The vampire known as 'Fred' was standing back to the window, head bent to David's neck. The actor was deadly white and completely still, his eyes half open, staring sightlessly over his attacker's shoulder.

Deciding that finesse was not in order, The Doctor kicked out the glass and shimmied through the opening. He was surprised that the sound that filled the small room didn't get the attention of the vampire; in fact he was able to come up right behind him before the vampire seemed to notice him.

"You're too late," Fred smiled his fangs ruby red and dripping. He flung the limp David onto the bed and whipped around to face the Time Lord, "now time for pudding," he took two steps towards The Doctor.

The Doctor held his ground, meeting the vampire's glare with one of his own, determined to show this being he was not afraid of him. It was hard keeping his gaze because he desperately wanted to tend to David but showing any sigh of backing down now would be a fatal mistake.

"You shouldn't have returned," Fred hissed.

"I'm beginning to see that," The Doctor replied, "but I can't just leave my friend."

"The prey is mine, and now you will join him," the vampire advance, his red eyes boring into The Doctor's.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," The Doctor shot back.

Fred took a few more steps towards him. There was something hypnotic in his gaze, The Doctor had to fight against the urge to remain stock still and let the vampire approach. The closer Fred got to him the harder it was to move, he could hear a thrumming sound in his head, white noise? And his whole body felt numb all over.

When the vampire got within touching distance, The Doctor was like a deer in the headlights. He could only watch with a combination of horror and amazement as the vampire reached for him, pulling him to the floor. The vampire straddled his chest, and bent down over his neck. The hot breath tickled and burned when it touched the Time Lord's skin and he felt the sharp teeth scrape his throat.


	17. Chapter 17

Even though he couldn’t move, physically, The Doctor’s mind was whirring at break neck pace. This wasn’t the first time he’d been bitten by a vampire, first time this regeneration however. He closed his eyes anticipating that sting. But it didn’t come. 

The weight that was pressed down on him was suddenly gone, he opened his eyes to see Fred rolling off of his chest and David standing over him, a wooden stake poised. In a flash Fred scrambled to his feet and charged the actor.

Bad move, The Doctor thought with a wince as he sat up. David looked uncertain but still holding the stake, at the last moment he realigned it to standing point outwards, and Fred essentially impaled himself on the sharpened end.

Giving an unholy shriek Fred tried to back off the stake but David grabbed his shoulder pulling him further down on it. Once Fred was completely impaled David let him go.

As he stepped away from the vampire, David was hit square in the face with a jet of blood. The warm somewhat gooey feeling substance drenched him head to foot. It didn’t help to remind himself that it was most likely his own blood, as the rapidly cooling slippery mess slid down him, “that is disgusting!” he shook his head trying to get the dripping hair out of his face.

Fred was feebly trying to pull the stake out as a low moan escaped from his lips. The Doctor stood over him watching with a clinical interest. Then turned back to David, “umm wooden stakes to the heart don’t actually kill vampires…”

David wiped his least blood covered hand over his forehead, “now you tell me! You mentioned garlic, crosses and coffins, but you said nothing about wooden stakes!”

“It does however render them powerless,” The Doctor continued as if David had not spoken.

“And gets me completely soaked, thanks,” David grumbled, “so now what?”

“Well…” The Doctor considered looking around the room, “obviously we should get you cleaned up, and then get you out of here.”

“That sounds good to me,” David sighed tiredly.

While David was taking a shower Dmitri burst into the room. He opened his mouth to say something, then clamped it shut with a loud click as he eyed the large puddle of blood and Fred writhing on the floor. 

“Stake through the heart,” he gestured, “wow, that’s gotta hurt.”

“How did you get free?” The Doctor asked.

“Once you or your friend immobilised him,” Dmitri gestured at the prone figure, “the rest of the brood fled, figuring they were in for the same treatment.”

The Doctor sat on the edge of the chair, “what’s next for you?” he asked Dmitri.

“I’m going back home,” Dmitri smiled, “I think I’ve had enough of Scotland for a while.”

“Between us,” The Doctor leaned in, “what really brought you here? I know the whole ‘stopping a rogue’ was a complete and utter lie. Why did you come?”

Dmitri grinned, “the honest truth is; this brood was growing too strong and it was threatening my family. With your friend’s blood in ‘Fred’s’ veins it would have meant the end of everything I worked for, and I had to stop that.”

“If we hadn’t succeeded in stopping Fred, what lengths would you have gone to?” 

“I was prepared to kill you both, to stop you from falling into enemy hands,” Dmitri offered casually, in the same tone one would describe the weather.

The Doctor nodded, and knowing there was nothing more to say Dmitri waved cheerily as he left the room.

David emerged moments later, hair dripping wet but at least he was clean. The clothing The Doctor had brought from the TARDIS hung off of him, and he looked ill, “how am I ever going to explain my absence from the film set?”

The Doctor stood, “time travel, remember? We'll just go back in time and they'll never notice you were gone. Hopefully you can get some rest and get something in you, you look like hell.”

“Such flattery,” David smiled back, “let’s get out of here,” as they passed Fred David gave into the temptation to give him a little kick, but not hard enough to really hurt him, “what about him?” he asked.

“Either he’ll stay like that until he starves to death, or one of his brood might release him, either way it’s not going to be pretty,” The Doctor explained as they exited the room, “now time to get you back to the TARDIS and get you checked out. Then maybe, if you’re up to it, we can visit Nessy tomorrow. I told her all about you,” he put his arm around David’s shoulders, “and she is excited to meet you.”


End file.
